Brussels, 08/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - During its plenary session last week in Brussels, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly adopted resolutions on:
Terrorism: Assembly expresses solidarity with the people and the government of the United States further to the attacks on 11 September and condemns the "shameful deviation of the meaning of Islam, which is based on a peaceful spirit, by those who have committed these murderous acts". It calls for efforts to be continued at the political and diplomatic levels in order to restore peace in Afghanistan and to involve Afghan women in any resolution of the conflict as well as in all the initiatives aimed at placing a broad-based government in place after the conflict. The Assembly supports the EU's appeal for a global coalition that is as wide as possible against terrorism, under the aegis of the UN, and calls for a major humanitarian effort to be deployed in favour of the Afghan people. It calls on the ACP and EU States to intensify their fight against uncontrolled and illegal arms exports and the global proliferation of heavy weapons and small arms as well as the fight against chemical and biological weapons. It welcomes the European Council's commitment to work for peace in the Middle East and calls for rapid resumption of dialogue between Israel and Palestinians on the basis of the Mitchell Report. The Assembly also encourages the police forces and the intelligence services of ACP and EU 15 countries to collaborate closely with the American authorities in order to fight terrorism and to bring those responsible for terrorist acts to justice.
Food security: The Assembly calls for food sovereignty to be recognised as a fundamental right of every country and proclaims the right of the developing countries to protect their domestic food market. It calls for gradual and significant reduction -in conformity with Article 20 of the WTO agreement on agriculture- of export aid granted by industrialised countries and, for EU export subsidies, assessment of their safety for the development of agriculture and food supply security in ACP countries. It also feels that European agricultural products can only be intended for food aid if the agricultural production of the region of the beneficiary country is not enough to procure such aid.
AIDS: The Assembly calls for rapid implementation of the World Fund for Blood and again insists on the need to improve access to medicines. It calls on the Commission to ensure that African governments develop national programmes against AIDS as a matter of urgency, programmes that can be coordinated at regional level so that they have a maximum impact on migrant populations.
Migration: The Assembly condemns the trafficking of human beings and the economic exploitation of immigrants. It calls on the EU Member States to promote and protect human rights and the fundamental freedoms of all migrants. It considers that the social and economic development of the poor countries is likely to bring new structural solutions allowing the phenomenon of illegal or clandestine immigration to be reduced.
The disabled or elderly and old: The Assembly notes that 2003 will be the European year for the disabled and invites the Council and the Commission to give special attention to these categories of people in the development of development cooperation policy. It also invites the European institutions to support the African decade for the disabled (1999-2009) through political and financial commitments.